Redecorating the Mertzes’ Apartment

Redecorating the Mertzes’ Apartment, I Love Lucy season 3, originally aired November 23, 1953

Redecorating the Mertzes’ Apartment begins with Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball) bragging on the phone to all of her friends how her husband Ricky is going to buy her a mink stole — while Ricky (Desi Arnaz) is waiting for an important phone call. Ricky makes her promise to not tell anyone else about it, and Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance) comes in — leading Lucy to pantomime it to Ethel in a funny routine.

Ethel wants Lucy to host the club meeting in the Ricardos’ apartment, since she’s ashamed of her dingy apartment, but Ricky hates it when their club is at their place — giving Lucy the idea to redecorate the Mertzes’ apartment. Visiting the Mertzes, with a bit of costume comedy from Fred Mertz (William Frawley), they volunteer to throw a “painting party” — but Fred’s penny-pinching gets in the way, first with the Ricardos having to buy the paint, and then refusing to buy any new furniture (after 20 years) — leading to Ethel going to the bedroom in tears, and Fred marching out of his apartment, giving Ricky a chance to repeat his father’s wise advice — don’t interfere in other people’s business — to Lucy’s chagrin.

Back at the Ricardos’ apartment, Lucy and Ricky are talking about the problem with the Mertzes — and Ricky doesn’t want to get involved again and make things even worse. Lucy insists that the repaint the Mertzes’ apartment, and re-upholster the old furniture, to make both Ethel and Fred happy. Â Bringing them all together, Lucy explains her plan … and soon, the foursome are repainting the apartment. All’s going well, until it’s time to re-upholster the furniture … and Lucy opens a window to get the paint smell out, while she pulls the feathers out of the old furniture … and Fred gets an electric fan to blow the smell out … and soon the feathers are literally flying all over, making a mess of the apartment.

In the end, all’s well — the Mertzes have been given the Ricardos furniture, giving Lucy the excuse to buy brand new furniture. But as Ethel asks, how did Lucy pay for it? What happened to her new mink stole? Lucy replies bittersweetly, “You’re sitting on it.”